When Vladimir Voinovich first began writing in his youth, he dreamed of gaining renown within a small circle of readers and finding his place within the system. He soon became famous among millions. The system accepted him. Yet, his nature, character, temperament, keen insight, Attic wit—and the very makeup of his personality—were such that he clashed with that system and, in a turn few had...

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he toils willingly, trusting that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he...

As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface of Mars, enduring backbreaking labor while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself...